Orlando electric utility upgrade suspended

This entry was posted on July 17, 2012 by FreshAirPro.

Upgrades to the government-owned electric utility company in Orlando have been suspended. For the past few years, officials crafted plans to spend approximately $100 million to improve the efficiency of the plant, however, court battles and uncertain federal legislation have delayed the project, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Without clear and definable standards, the Orlando Utilities Commission is wary of starting the process of upgrading the power plant. While officials wish to reduce pollution, stating the improvements could improve air quality all the way to Texas, unexpected costs accruing from new standards could harm the success of the project, according to the news source. As a result, the improvements to the plant are on hold until federal standards are clearly defined and settled on.

"It's astonishing to people sometimes how far pollution can blow," Janice Nolen, the association's assistant vice president of national policy and advocacy, told the news source. "No matter how much some states want to clean up their air, and a lot of states do, they can't because of the pollution coming across their line. This really is a problem that needs to be addressed with a cross-state rule."

Air pollution is not an issue that impacts just one region. The negative health effects associated with fine particulate matter produced by plants can stretch out across the country. Consequently, homeowners concerned about air quality can invest in the IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier.